“The world didn’t understand the context and the events that led up to it,” Taylor told Rolling Stone.
“Because nothing ever just happens like that without some lead-up. Some events took place to cause me to be pissed off when [West] called me a b*tch.”
Swift went on to explain that it was Kanye's attitude that ultimately pissed her off and not just one singular event.
“That was not just a singular event,” she continued.
“Basically, I got really sick of the dynamic between he and I. And that wasn’t just based on what happened on that phone call and with that song — it was kind of a chain reaction of things.”
Taylor goes on to explain that post the 2009 VMA's incident - where Kanye stormed the stage to interrupt Taylor during her acceptance speech - the pair began to work on a friendship, with Taylor admitting all she wanted was Kanye's respect.
“I started to feel like we reconnected, which felt great for me — because all I ever wanted my whole career after that thing happened in 2009 was for him to respect me,” she said.
“When someone doesn’t respect you so loudly and says you literally don’t deserve to be here — I just so badly wanted that respect from him, and I hate that about myself, that I was like, ‘This guy who’s antagonizing me, I just want his approval.’ But that’s where I was.”
Swift - who would even go out to dinners with West - alleges the first incident that turned her off Kanye was when West presented her with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 VMA's, explaining that Kanye had called Taylor to ask if he could present her with the award.
“I was so stoked that he asked me that,” Swift said. “And so I wrote this speech up, and then we get to the VMAs and I make this speech and he screams, ‘MTV got Taylor Swift up here to present me this award for ratings!’” (According to Rolling Stone, West’s exact phrasing was: “You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award ’cause it got them more ratings?”)
“I’m standing in the audience with my arm around his wife, and this chill ran through my body. I realized he is so two-faced,” Swift said.
“That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone and talk s—.”
Swift decided she would move past the incident, but it clearly still played on her mind when West decided to call Taylor and ask her permission to use the 'Famous' lyric.
“So when he gets on the phone with me, and I was so touched that he would be respectful and, like, tell me about this one line in the song,” Swift explained.
“And I was like, ‘Okay, good. We’re back on good terms.’ And then when I heard the song, I was like, ‘I’m done with this. If you want to be on bad terms, let’s be on bad terms, but just be real about it.’”
Swift ultimately said: "That’s how all of this started, a stupid phone call I shouldn’t have picked up.”
